The Phaistos Disk

THE PHAISTOS DISK: A 100-YEAR-OLD HOAX?

ADDENDA, CORRIGENDA, AND COMMENTS
Jerome M. Eisenberg, Ph.D.
Another Possible Reason for the size, becomes only part of another including his sign no. 50, the ‘grain’
Creation of the Phaistos Disk object. This would appear to be the or ‘honey jar’ (Fig 5), no. 93, and no.
In his article ‘The Phaistos Disk: A One- case in signs nos 2 (plumed head), 3 115, an enigmatic symbol (Fig 6).
Hundred-Year-Old Hoax’, recently pub- (tattooed head), 4 (captive), and 6 Dr Jean Faucounau has kindly sent
lished in the July/August 2008 issue of (woman), all probably derived from the writer a copy of his book Le
Minerva (pp. 9-24), the writer realised Egyptian wall paintings or reliefs; no. 9 Déchiffrement du Disque de Phaistos
that he had omitted to mention an (tiara), from a Hittite wall carving, and (1999) from which the writer had pre-
important possibility. Luigi Pernier - in no. 24 (structure), from a Lycian rock- viously only taken quotes from other
addition to his possible wish to com- cut tomb or an Egyptian wall relief. authors. He was gratified to find illus-
pete with the spectacular discoveries of trated several excellent sources for at
Federico Halbherr at Gortyna and Additional Attempts at Decipherment Fig 1. Phaistos Disk least four of the signs. No. 12 (Fig 7),
sign no. 7, the
Arthur Evans at Knossos - may have Since the publication of the article a breast or helmet. the shield, closely resembles the
created and planted the disk to excite number of additional attempts at deci- shields carried by the Sea People (the
the sponsors of the excavation to phering the disk have been noted by Sherden or Shardana) on the Kadesh
encourage them to supply further back- the writer and received from correspon- battle reliefs on the walls of the
ing. Joseph MacGillivray, in his very dents, some scholarly and a few more Ramasseum at Thebes (Fig 8). For no.
revealing book on Evans, Minotaur pseudo-scientific. These will be enu- 17 (Fig 9), the lid or tool, a match is
(2000), notes that Evans became woe- merated at the Phaistos Disk Confer- made with the cutting tool used by a
fully short of funds for the excavations ence on 31 October (see p. 1) and leatherworker on a 6th century BC
and reconstruction of Knossos. Pernier published in a future issue of Minerva. Attic vase (Fig 10)! Sign 27 (Fig 11),
could have encountered the same prob- the hide, though missing his tail, is
lem at the Palace of Phaistos. The rais- Corrections and Additions well-matched by another on a wall
ing of resources/capital to fund Since the article was not peer-reviewed, Fig 2. The Egyptian (relief) from the 18th dynasty tomb of
continuing excavations was, and still is, and the writer does not have a back- hieroglyphic sign for Rekhmire in the Valley of the Kings
a common problem for archaeologists. ground in epigraphy, he had expected breast, Gardner (Fig 12). Sign 31 (Fig 13), the eagle and
27*. Compare to
to receive many corrections. Fortu- sign no. 7. After
the serpent, has a good parallel in a
An Accomplice? nately there were few, but he greatly Alan Gardiner, similar scene on another 6th century
The writer is also researching the possi- appreciated those that came from Egyptian Grammar Attic vase (Fig 14). Again, an author in
bility that Emile Gilliéron may have Thorsten Timm, since in correcting or (3rd edition, 1978), favour of the authenticity of the disk
p. 453.
been involved in the manufacture of commenting on the writer’s state- has unwittingly provided sources for
the disk. He was the brilliant artist and ments, he inadvertently pointed out the forger. It should be noted that
restorer who did the mural and object two more possible sources for the signs these sources are many centuries
reconstructions for Evans at Knossos. on the disk. In the article it was stated apart, a common disparity in time-
He and his son also made reproduc- that, in referring to sign no. 7, the hel- placement so often made by a forger.
tions, some in electrotype, of Cretan met or breast (Fig 1), that ‘There is no
objects and published an illustrated cat- ancient parallel for a single breast as a Comments on the Article
alogue of them. His son even claimed sign’, however Mr Timm points out It was gratifying for the writer to
authorship for at least one famous that there is indeed a rare Egyptian receive so many favourable comments
Minoan gold ring, the Archanes ring, hieroglyphic sign, D27A, that repre- from scholars on his article. Professor
published by Evans, an identical copy sents a single breast (Fig 2) and is trans- Louis Godart, Professor of Mycenaean
of which was found in Evans’s posses- lated as ’breast’, ‘suckle’, or ‘tutor’. For Philology at the University of Naples
sion after his death. One of Gilliéron’s the Phaistos Disk sign no. 7, if it repre- and author of The Phaistos Disc – the
assistants, in fact, confessed on his sents a breast rather than a helmet, the enigma of an Aegean script (1990, 1995)
deathbed that he had been creating breast was turned upside-down, the wrote: ‘Many thanks indeed for your
forgeries for the antiquities market for nipple facing upward. This is a typical extremely kind letter and for your
several years. A correspondent ploy used by the forger, a mirror-image Fig 3. Phaistos Disk excellent article on the Phaistos Disk. I
informed me that, according to his or reversal of a known element, to con- sign no. 42, must say that it seems to me quite dif-
the grater.
research, Gilliéron was present when fuse the epigrapher (see J. Eisenberg, ficult to contest the authenticity of
the Phaistos Disk was found and that ‘The Aesthetics of the Forger: Stylistic the disk but your arguments are sound
Pernier was napping at the time. Criteria in Ancient Art Forgery’, p. 15), and perhaps - I am thinking about
but not a very logical way to portray that - it would be possible to find
Fig 4. Phaistos Disk
Aesthetics of the Forger the female breast. sign no. 43,
other arguments against the authen-
As the writer noted in the article, sev- The writer also stated that for sign the strainer. ticity.’ Dr Thomas Balistier, author of
eral of the errors made by the forger of nos 42, the grater (Fig 3), and 43, the The Phaistos Disk – an account of its
the disk fit into the categories tabulated strainer (Fig 4), there are too many dots unsolved mystery (2000) writes ‘…Your
by the writer in his ‘Aesthetics of the for a small ancient hieroglyphic sign. point of view is a new dimension to
Forger: Stylistic Criteria in Ancient Art Mr Timm refers to a few Minoan hiero- look at the history of the Phaistos
Forgery’ (Minerva, May/June 1992, 10- glyphic signs that have a multiplicity of Disk... I must declare that the theory
15), but he inadvertently omitted a small dotted markings. Several exam- of a forgery for me is a great chal-
very important one: Miniaturisation (or ples, that would have been available to lenge/provocation. But science should
enlargement) of an element. Some- Pernier, were published by Arthur be engaged to reality and truth. There-
times a complete object, reduced in Evans in his Scripta Minoa I (1909) fore I hope your work will contribute a

Minerva, September/October 2008 15

 The Phaistos Disk

Fig 5 (left). Evans’ big step to the solution of this

hieroglyphic sign unsolved mystery.’
no. 50, the ‘grain’
or ‘honey jar’,
Dr Michael Coe, the eminent Pre-
inscribed on a columbian scholar and epigrapher: ‘I
Minoan clay think that there is a 95% certainty
bar, P. 109. that you’re right about the Phaistos
Disk being a forgery. Of course a TL
[thermoluminescence] test would put
Fig 6. Evans’ the final nail in this particular coffin,
hieroglyphic sign and the stubborn resistance of the
no. 115, an authorities to allow it suggests that
enigmatic symbol,
inscribed on a they think it a fake too. I was particu-
Minoan clay larly impressed with your round-up of
label, P. 92. all the so-called decipherments. The
Disk has been a veritable Rorschach
Fig 8 Test for would-be decipherers. By far
(left, second down). the most ridiculous is the one by
Drawing of a Steven Fischer, who claims to be the
Kadesh only person who has cracked two
battle relief,
scripts – the Phaistos Disk and Ron-
Ramesseum,
Thebes. Compare gorongo. I once demolished his book
the shields to in a review in the Times Higher Educa-
sign no. 12. Fig 7. Phaistos Disk tional Supplement.’
sign no. 12, Dr Mark Newbrook, a specialist in
the shield. historical linguistics and ‘skeptical lin-
guistics’ writes: ‘Your work appears
very thorough and full of detail… I
think that you make out a fair case for
your view. My main worry is that the
strength of your case for specific
claims sometimes appears to be over-
stated… But I find your treatment in
terms of error-types (p. 15) more per-
suasive. I think that this section is one
of the strongest and perhaps would
Fig 9. Phaistos Disk warrant greater length.’ Dr Thomas
sign no. 17,
Fig 10 the lid or tool.
Palaima, Director of the Program in
(left, third down). Aegean Scripts and Prehistory at the
Drawing of University of Texas, Austin: ‘I think it
leatherworkers on
is likely that the disc is a forgery.’ Dr
an Attic vase.
Compare the Richard Sproat, a specialist in compu-
cutting tool to tational linguistics and the study of
sign no. 16. writing systems wrote: ‘I think I am
convinced. Of course I know people
had long suspected that Pernier had
Fig 12 (bottom Evans-envy and might have hoaxed
left). Drawing the whole thing, and I even men-
of a relief of Fig 11. Phaistos
Disk sign no. 27. tioned that possibility myself in a talk
leatherworkers
from the tomb of that I gave last summer at a sympo-
Rekhmire, Valley sium at Stanford. But your arguments
of the Kings. seem much more compelling than
Compare the hide what I had previously seen.’ The
to sign no. 27.
debate continues.
Illustrations - Figs 5, 6: After Arthur
Evans, Scripta Minoa, vol. 1 (1909),
p. 174; Figs 8, 10, 12, 14: after
Fig 13. Phaistos Jean Faucounau, Le Déchiffrement
Disk sign no. 31, du Disque de Phaistos (1999).
the eagle
and serpent. International Conference on
the Phaistos Disk
on the occasion of the 100th
anniversary of its discovery
31 October – 1 November 2008
At the Society of Antiquaries
of London, Burlington House,
Piccadilly, W1
Organised and sponsored by
Fig 14. Eagle and Minerva, the International Review of
serpent on an Attic Ancient Art & Archaeology.
vase. Compare it to
sign no. 31.
See announcement on page 9.

16 Minerva, September/October 2008